Lee Krasner was a female abstract expressionist painter. As an artist she created works that held their own, if not outshining some of her fellow male contemporaries, in a male dominated field at the time. To many, Krasner was known for being Pollock’s widow, and supportive wife during his lifetime. Krasner was an active artist from the 1930’s up until her death in 1984. As an abstract painter, Krasner used a heavy amount of color in large scaled organic works, seen in her 1947 work Shellflower. However, her most compelling work took place during the time she was mourning her husband, Jackson Pollock. In 1965, her work Night Creatures, part of her 1959-1963 series Night Journey, is one of her most haunting works. Krasner’s oeuvre is…show more content… Stated before, Krasner was mourning the tragic death of her husband and became an insomniac. In the series she abandoned the use of bright colors – her paintings became darker, using primarily black and white and the occasional splash of dark hues. Seen in Night Creatures (1965) Krasner’s composition is covered with black and white swirled strokes over a dried blood red background. Krasner discarded the use of vibrant colors because she started painting at night – she felt that using such colors would only feel during the daytime. Night Creatures (1965) conveys depression within the composition. Krasner’s brushstrokes haphazardly swirl over the canvas, juxtaposed by harsh linear strokes. The composition’s aura is dark and painful; the viewer is washed over with grief and confusion, trying to analyze the mindset of Krasner. Krasner said, “Painting is not separate from life. It is one,” the intertwining of life and art mindset of Krasner is clear through Night Creatures. She uses painting to deal with the grief she feels and the sleepless nights caused by said grief. The swirled circle strokes within the composition appear to be tired and troubled eyes. Shown in the detail, Krasner creates a pair of eyes. The eyes appear to be tired, with bags underneath showing the effects of insomnia. Also, there is an illusion of a tear coming off the
